The invention relates to a magnetic tape recorder and, more particularly, to a magnetic tape recorder construction having vacuum chamber-type tape buffer means in the tape transport system arranged to provide a more compact and simplified assembly.
Magnetic tape recorders are generally known wherein a magnetic tape is conducted from a supply or file reel across a tape buffer vacuum chamber associated with the supply reel then past a magnetic head assembly and across a further tape buffer vacuum chamber associated with a take-up reel to be taken up by the take-up reel. The magnetic tape is driven by at least one capstan that is disposed between the buffer chambers and directed on its path by tape guide rollers, usually in the form of air bearings. Typically, digital data is recorded on or played back from the magnetic tape at the magnetic head.
One such known magnetic tape recorder construction is disclosed in German Patent 28 22 296. There, the take-up reel is disposed below the supply reel and the buffer chambers are situated at both sides of the supply reel and the take-up reel. The opening of the first buffer chamber associated with the supply reel points up and is disposed in the proximity of the supply reel, whereas the opening of the second buffer chamber associated with the take-up reel points down and is disposed in the proximity of the take-up reel. The capstan is situated directly at the opening of the buffer chamber associated with the take-up reel and the magnetic head is laterally offset between the supply reel and the take-up reel, that is adjacent the take-up reel buffer chamber. The magnetic tape is conducted about guide rollers from the supply reel to the first buffer chamber. The magnetic tape is then conducted back over the. supply reel and past the magnetic head in the proximity of the other buffer chamber, around the capstan, into the other buffer chamber, and from there out and onto the take-up reel. The magnetic tape is deflected at very many locations by means of guide rollers or pneumatic deflectors. This magnetic tape recorder is intended to be compact, but does not contain any vacuum antechambers which are usually disposed in the proximity of the magnetic head and the tape capstan in order to additionally buffer the magnetic tape when recording or playing back the data at high tape speeds.
When this known magnetic tape recorder is to be used for relatively high tape speeds, the height of the buffer chambers is no longer adequate. The magnetic tape recorder must be both upwardly as well as downwardly extended since the open ends of the buffer chambers are disposed at the top and at the bottom, respectively. In this case, the magnetic tape recorder then exhibits a relatively large overall height. If the buffer chambers were only to be extended in one direction, for example toward the top, then modification of the basic structure would be necessary that would be disadvantageous in view of the resulting increased length of magnetic tape to be accelerated by the capstan.
The invention concerns a unique construction for a magnetic tape recorder that affords a compact and simplified structure and that is nonetheless adaptable for a plurality of tape speeds without requiring changes to the basic structure that would undesirably affect performance.